Posted: May 11, 2011
Boxscore
Beverly, Mass. – The Endicott baseball built up a 6-1 lead after a six-run bottom of the second inning, and despite allowing four runs late in the game to Becker College, the Gulls held on for the 7-6 win in the ECAC Quarterfinals at North Field.
Beverly, Mass. – The Endicott baseball built up a 6-1 lead after a six-run bottom of the second inning, and despite allowing four runs late in the game to Becker College, the Gulls held on for the 7-6 win in the ECAC Quarterfinals at North Field.
Endicott (31-14), playing as the top-seed in the ECAC Division
III New England Tournament, had seven extra-base hits including
homeruns by senior Chris Dominguez (Braintree,
Mass.) and freshman Jake Northrup (Boxborough,
Mass.) to pace the Gulls offense.
Becker (22-12), the runner up in the NECC Tournament, ends
their 2011 season after increasing their win total from 14 to 22
from a season ago. Four Hawks batters had multi-hit games
including junior Manny Sanchez (Porterville,
Calif.) and sophomore Todd Tompkins (West Haven,
Conn.) who each recorded three hits. Tomkins added
two runs scored and two RBI on solo homeruns in the first and third
innings.
On the mound, Endicott sophomore Tyler Hitchcock
(Abington, Mass.) improved to 6-2 on the season after
pitching 6 1/3 innings with one strikeout. Hitchcock cruised
through the first six innings, allowing only the solo shots to
Tompkins, but ran into trouble in the seventh after being charged
with two runs on RBI singles by Keith Kandel (Fresno,
Calif.) and Weston Meehan (Thomson,
Ga.).
Gulls freshman Steven Carter (Brunswick,
Maine) recorded an out before giving way to TCCC Pitcher
of the Year Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass.)
who went 2 1/3 innings, allowing no hits, no walks while
striking out one for the long relief save
conversion.
For the Hawks, senior Errick Maddern (West Haven,
Conn.) took the loss, falling to 5-5, after giving up
seven earned runs on eight hits and four walks. Becker
freshman Tony Cantalupo (DePere, Wisc.) came on in
relief and held Endicott’s batters to just one hit and one
walk with a strikeout.
Becker opened up the top of the first with one run on one of
Tompkins’ long balls. In the bottom of the second,
however, the Gulls crossed the plate six times to take a commanding
6-1 lead. Northrup led off the inning with a solo shot to
right field, junior Mike Russo (Natick, Mass.)
drove home Colin Sitarz (West Hartford, Conn.) on
a fielder’s choice grounder, Tad Gold (Martha’s
Vineyard, Mass.) and Russo converted a first and third
double steal, Robbie Goldstick (Deerfield, Ill.)
knocked a triple to right that drove home Russo, Danny
Mello (Peabody, Mass.) singled home Goldstick and
Dominguez cracked a homerun over the left field wall.
The Hawks got a run back with Tompkins’ second homerun
of the game in the top of the third and Endicott added their final
run on a Northrup double down the left field line that plated
Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.). Northrup
was out on the play attempting to stretch his hit into a
triple.
Becker started their four run top of the seventh on a Kandel
RBI single to left that scored Tom Natoli (Suffern,
N.Y.), who had reach on a double to right center to lead
off the inning. Kandel later scored on Meehan’s hit to
right. An error brought home the third run and finally, with
the bases loaded, freshman Mike Marcello (West Haven,
Conn.) was hit by a pitch to bring home Becker’s
sixth and final run of the game.
Endicott now moves on to the ECAC Semifinals where they will
face the \#5 seeded Suffolk Rams, a team the Gulls defeated earlier
in the 2011 season 14-3 on the road, on Saturday, May
14th at 11:00 am. Endicott will also host the
other semifinal game between \#7 Anna Maria and \#6 Coast Guard to
be played at 3:00 pm on the same day.
